1. ’Iⁿ-çka´, White Rock. In the origin story of this gens the people came down from the sky, as eagles, to the earth and alighted upon seven trees. Thence:
36. They moved onward over the earth. 37. They came to the top of a rocky cliff, 38. Close to it they came and paused, 40. They spake to one another, saying: White Rock 41. We shall make to be a personal name for ourselves.
—(36th Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 255.)
2. Moⁿ´-hiⁿ Wa-ḳoⁿ´-da, Mysterious Knife. From the White Rock the people went forth to wander over the earth. They thought to make for themselves a knife for ceremonial use. The Sho´-ḳa went again and again to find the right kind of stone of which to make the knife. He brought home the red flint, the blue flint, the flint streaked with yellow, the black flint and the white flint, one after the other, each of which was rejected as being unfit for use by the little ones as a knife. Finally he brought home a round-handled knife which was accepted as suitable for the purpose. Then followed the idea of the people of making a magical war club for ceremonial use. The Sho´-ḳa went in search for the right kind of tree out of which to make it. He brought to the elder brothers the hickory tree, the thick-barked hickory tree, the red oak tree, the red wood tree, the dark wood tree, each of which was rejected as being unsuitable for use as a club. Then he brought to them the willow tree, a tree that never dies. This the elder brothers accepted as eminently fitted for use as a club, and:
XU-THA´-WA-ṬO^N-I^N (ṬSI´-ZHU WA-NO^N GENS)]
268. Their round-handled-knife 269. They quickly took from its resting place, 271. And spake, saying: It is a fear-inspiring knife, 272. Verily, it is a mysterious knife. 273. Mysterious-knife 274. The little ones shall take as their personal name. 276. They lifted the round-handled knife 277. And quickly stabbed with it the body of the willow tree. 278. Then from its wound its life-blood streamed forth.
—(36th Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 261.)
3. We´-thiⁿ-ça-gi, Strong-strap. With the mysterious knife the people shaped out of the “tree-that-never-dies” a mystic club. Taking with them the knife and the club they went in search of a buffalo and found one. On coming in sight of the animal they brandished the magic weapon four times in the air and the buffalo fell lifeless to the ground: